Chapter 694: Chapter 693: I’m Afraid of Taking on the Responsibility of Motherhood

After changing their clothes and finishing the late-night snack, Mu Qiu and Zhao Yu returned to the small villa in the suburbs.

The last and very important part of Zhao Yu’s birthday remained.

A small matcha mousse cake, with two candles stuck in it, and the two of them knelt by a small table, closing their eyes to make a wish.

That’s how their birthdays always were; no matter whose birthday it was, they would make a wish together.

After making the wish, Zhao Yu "whoosh" blew out the candles, then happily cut the cake.

"I’ve eaten too much today, so sinful. But it’s okay, I’ve exercised enough today, so it balances out, as if I never ate anything."

Mu Qiu, holding the plate and waiting to divide the cake, replied, "No need to calculate, your fat won’t lie to you."

"...Shut up, I don’t have any fat."

"Alright, alright, you’re right, everything is in your favor today. Cheers!"

The two of them clinked their cake plates together.

"Wishing Ms. Zhao Yu eternal youth, may all her dreams come true, may she get rich soon, always find joy in food, and find a handsome young man like Su Yan!"

Zhao Yu: "Thank you, Ms. Mu Qiu, for the blessings. Then I wish for you, smooth sailing all the way, always be yourself, always do what you love, and never regret it! Cheers again!"

They clinked their plates together again.

Now they could focus on eating the cake.

Since the cake was made very small to begin with, even sharing it, they didn’t eat much, and soon finished it.

Having eaten snacks, a late-night meal, and now cake, Mu Qiu’s stomach felt a bit bloated. She collapsed onto the sofa, exhaling with satisfaction.

"It’s been a while since I indulged like this. If I were at home, my mom would already be listing the downsides of eating cake at midnight."

"Then my mom would probably be banging on the door to bring me back to sleep, not allowing me to disturb you," Zhao Yu said, recalling how they were previously disliked at home, unable to hold back her laughter.

The laughter slowly faded, and they lay head to head, looking at the round, bright moon outside the window.

"I’ve already applied to go to the overseas market."

Zhao Yu said suddenly.

Mu Qiu just frowned, didn’t move, and asked her, "Have you thought it through?"

"Yeah. The overseas market has more prospects. Unlike you, apart from liking to follow stars like Su Yan, I don’t have any other hobbies, so I have to seek achievements at work.

Moreover, our boss has also been sent to the overseas market to continue rising, so after I go over, I can still get some support, which will make things easier."

"Companies in foreign trade indeed need to get some experience in the overseas market, gain some shine and then come back, and the road ahead will be much broader. But did your parents agree?"

"They said they’ll support me. While I’m young, I should venture out, and it’s not just men who think this way. I also want to try and see how far I can go."

Mu Qiu made a sound of acknowledgment, resting her hands behind her head, lost in thought as she gazed out the window.

"That’s good, your personality suits going out and exploring. I’m just maintaining the status quo. After this program is completed, I’ll focus on staying at home and writing."

Zhao Yu turned her head to look at her, "Won’t you appear in other programs or television shows? Many people want to use your relationship with Cheng Zhirang."

"No. I don’t like exposing my every move in front of the camera. I guess he won’t take any variety shows afterwards, but he will still take film projects. It wouldn’t affect much, and after the variety shows are over, his popularity will drop a bit. I usually hide away and avoid going out, so nothing much can happen."

"That might not be the case, paparazzi are everywhere. Just taking a random picture of you can cause a huge commotion. Do you believe that someone will definitely have captured us at Disney tonight, and the photos from the parking lot too?"

It’s just that they were busy eating and didn’t feel their behavior was inappropriate, so they didn’t pay any attention.

They had already trended on social media many times, so there was nothing novel about it.

Mu Qiu pursed her lips.

"It’s expected. This dress of mine, those who watched the program should have some impression of it, and he even took off his mask in the parking lot. Considering fans can recognize their idols just by looking at a strand of hair, he definitely got discovered.

But there’s no other way; we have to adapt to such a lifestyle. As for the days ahead, it depends on how things go after the program ends. He promised me..."

At this point, she didn’t continue speaking, staring outside at the moon in a daze.

"What did he promise you?" Zhao Yu asked.

Mu Qiu closed her eyes for two seconds and said, "He promised me that after the program, he’d gradually withdraw from the entertainment industry. Except for the promise to fans of one movie a year, he won’t appear on camera at other times."

Zhao Yu was very surprised, sat up to look at her.

"Withdrawing from the entertainment industry? That’s not easy, is he serious?"

"He promised and will keep his word. If he can’t do it, then it’s better to part ways while still on good terms. Actually, Qing Rong is right in saying that Cheng Zhirang’s identity is a restriction for me. I can’t endure this current situation for long."

Constantly enduring and causing conflicts between the two would degrade the relationship, better to end it sooner then.

"I told you before, following stars is fine, just treat it as having a fictional boyfriend who provides various benefits or a son. But actually dating them, that’s really troublesome.

Many people date secretly, don’t announce their marriage, and having children is even harder. Of course, there are exceptions, let’s just hope Cheng Zhirang is that exception. Given your current fondness for him—"

"You won’t really come back from overseas with a child that’s already several years old to pick me up, will you?"

Mu Qiu rolled her eyes.

"Then you must stay abroad for a decade or so."

She laughed to herself for a while, "If you two had a child, they’d be incredibly cute. Hopefully a daughter, so indulgence skips a generation. You can see how your parents put all the words and actions they couldn’t express to you onto your daughter."

Silence suddenly enveloped them.

Then Mu Qiu spoke softly, "I’m afraid of taking on the responsibility of being a mother."

Enduring the ten-month pregnancy, the troubles, bitterness, and pain that can’t be endured by ordinary people; then after giving birth, taking care of the child day and night without getting a good night’s sleep; as the child grows, being responsible for their education, and once they become aware of their self-respect, figuring out how to communicate with them...

If any step is done poorly, it might become how things are between her and her parents now.

It’s too scary, the process of being a good mother is just too hard.

Zhao Yu also knew about her situation with her parents, but she also saw the little efforts Mu Qiu made to improve family relations, as well as the satisfaction and affection Mr. Mu and Mu Ma expressed towards their daughter in front of others. Everyone is trying to improve the prior relationship, so it’s not that bad.

Moreover—

"You can leave it to Cheng Zhirang. He looks like a daughter-crazy person."

Mu Qiu was noncommittal, not really believing anyone is born knowing how to handle the parent-child relationship well.

But she had no idea that, much later, her family would indeed have a daughter-crazy person who handled the entire process of the child’s growth.